Approved: The old boiler house on Pedro Street will make way for council homes (Photo: Hackney Council)

A disused boiler house in Clapton will be knocked down and replaced by an eight-storey block of council flats, in plans approved by Hackney Council.

The building on the corner of Pedro Street and Rushmore Road will make way for 26 new affordable homes, half for social rent and half for shared ownership.

Plans for the site drawn up by Ash Sakula Architects were approved last night by Hackney’s Planning Sub-Committee, with construction set to begin later this year and the homes completed by 2020.

Disused: The old boiler on Pedro Street in Clapton will be knocked down Photo: Hackney Council

Hackney Council hailed the development as part of its Housing Supply Programme’s efforts to remove ugly and derelict buildings and replace them with much-needed housing.

Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville said:“This empty boiler house has long been an eyesore in Clapton, so getting the go ahead to replace it with 100 per cent genuinely affordable new Council homes that prioritise local people and make a big difference to the neighbourhood is win-win for the community.

Developing: An artist’s impression of the new block of flats in Pedro Street (Picture: Hackney Council)

“We’ve worked closely with local residents and councillors to get the design right – an approach we take across the borough as we make the most of our underused land to build the new Council homes we desperately need.”

The new building will include nine two-bedroom, two one-bedroom and two three-bedroom flats for social rent.

There will also be ten two-bedroom, two one-bedroom and one three-bedroom flats for shared ownership.

A public consultation on the plans last autumn received only one written objection and no objections from the Hackney Society and other experts.